A Fussy Eater? All You Need To Know About Travelling through Asia

Last Updated: December 9 2020

When it comes to food we definitely aren’t fussy eaters. However one thing we have noticed a lot since being home is how many people we know are put off travelling because they are worried about the food. A number of our friends have asked us how the food is and how they would really struggle travelling through Asia with the food culture being so different.

This surprised us but it is understandable. If you do struggle when it comes to certain foods the idea of travelling Asia may be quite daunting. With there being such a big difference in the types of food eaten in Asia and the typical foods eaten here in the UK, people may not think there are many options for them whilst travelling through Asia. However there most definitely is!

In this post we just want to talk about the foods we ate whilst in Asia and how anybody travelling shouldn’t be put off just because they are fussy when it comes to the foods they eat. There is always something for everyone!

The Types Of Local Food We Ate:

Even if you don’t consider yourself adventurous when eating, you may still find yourself enjoying the local food. Some local food you have probably already tried at some point. We found that most countries we visited had fairly similar  foods. Most of the food consisted of meats and rice/noodles and was often quite spicy. You could ask for it with no spice though, more often than not. In most countries, mainly India and Sri Lanka a lot of the food was curry based. You could get various types of curry with many types of meat or fish. We enjoyed most of the curries we ate. If you prefer plainer meals then a simple chicken or dal curry is great.

Dal curry is a light, plain curry made from chick peas. We also ate plenty of different dishes in Asia that we had never heard of. There are dishes like Khao Soi and Laksa. Khao Soi is a curry dish that we found nice but very coconutty. It is topped with fried noodles. Laksa is a spicy noodle soup served with various meats and fish like prawns.

Street Food:

Asia is famous for its street food so this was another regular occurrence for us. However we avoided street food in India because most people we know have been ill at some point as a result of dodgy food. Most street food we ate consisted of kebab sticks, noodles, fried rice, fruit and pastry dishes like curry puffs. Curry puffs are delicious and a popular food in Thailand. They come filled with various things like potato, chicken and apple. These are another great meal and very yummy. The great thing about street food markets is that you will always find something you like. There is always such a variety of foods giving everybody something to choose from. You can also get western food at these markets. Burgers, pasta’s, fruit salads and even pizza’s are just some of the western foods available. Other foods available include foods such as soups, curries and fish.

Photo by Lisheng Chang on Unsplash

Western Food:

Western food is very popular everywhere in South East Asia. There was never a time where it wasn’t available if we wanted it. This is why we found it so surprising when our friends told us they would struggle when travelling because of the food. They were under the impression they wouldn’t be able to get the foods they eat when as a matter of fact you most definitely can.  There isn’t one type of food you can’t get. Even on the Cambodian Island, Koh Rong Samloem, you can get a roast dinner.

Every country we went to had plenty of choices of the types of food we are used to. Occasionally it can be more expensive, but most of the time it was great. For us it made a nice change! Being away for 8 months made us really want foods from home so having the option there to get some whenever was brilliant. Lasagna, jacket potatoes, spaghetti bolognese, chicken burgers and pizza’s were some of our favourite western foods we ate. We tended to eat western food when we wanted a bit more of a meal out rather than just grabbing something quickly. However, although the western food is mostly very nice, it definitely isn’t as tasty as at home!

Fast Food:

Another type of food common in Asia is fast food. Although it is not the healthiest option it could be a good choice on occasion if you aren’t the greatest eater. We enjoyed a cheeky visit to a McDonald’s or KFC now and again. One thing we loved about the fast food was how the meals can be larger sizes too. Most of the time the fast food price was very good. We often found that it was either a lot cheaper than at home or about the same price. The fast food restaurants are really handy when you want to grab something quick at an airport or if you are struggling to find something local you want to eat.

Photo by Andrew Herashchenko on Unsplash

Snacks and Shop Food:

The snacks and shop food can be very different whilst travelling through Asia. In some shops such as KK you can get hot dogs at the till or even proper rice dishes. This is another quick and easy option to get some decent food. When it comes to snacks however unless you are happy spending more the options may be limited. You can get western snacks like Pringles, Dairy Milk and Haribo’s. They are very expensive in some places though, for example in Indonesia the import tax is high so these products are much more expensive. You can get own brand snacks or alternatives. In Asia instead of Pringles they have Mister Potato. These are still very tasty and much cheaper.

In general we weren’t massive fans of Asian snacks but the shops were still really good for some meals. We would occasionally buy a hot dog or get ourselves some pastries. The pastries were great. In Vietnam we used the shops a lot to buy fruit, noodles and yogurts. These made good cheap meals for us. We didn’t do this all the time but it was fantastic for the times we didn’t want to eat out or we just wanted something different.

Photo by Josiah Weiss on Unsplash

So is it hard to travel Asia if your a fussy eater?

It definitely isn’t hard to travel Asia if you are a fussy eater. We can understand people’s worries but it is so much easier than people would think. You will always find something you like to eat. In some situations you may even find new foods you like. Never let the worry of what you can eat put you off travelling through Asia. It is something that will be very easy to deal with. There is always going to be an option for you!

If you do consider yourself a fussy eater and it would worry you when going travelling, then we hope this post has made you feel more comfortable with the idea of travelling!

Thank you for reading,

Jack & Abbie

P.S. For more tips or information about what we  have learnt whilst travelling; be sure to check out other posts on our blog.

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